The present invention relates to a tray loading device of a CD player having a magazine which stores a plurality of trays each of which holds a compact disc (CD).
Recently, a CD player having a magazine has been provided for continuously reproducing a plurality of CDs.
In a car CD player, a tray loading device is designed so as to be vertically moved along the magazine for loading a selected tray in the magazine. The tray is drawn by the device from the magazine in the horizontal direction to feed the CD on the tray to a playback position.
In such a conventional loading device, a device having an arm rotating mechanism or a rack relay mechanism has been proposed.
FIG. 11 shows a car CD player 10 having a conventional tray loading device. A car CD player 10 has a magazine mounting section 20 having a magazine 21 and a reproducing section 30 having a reproducing device 50. The reproducing device 50 comprises a frame 42 on which a turntable 40 driven by a spindle motor 41 is rotatably mounted. A tray loading device 100 having a tray guide 111 is mounted on a frame 60 which is provided on a lower portion of the frame 42 and vertically movable by an arm 61 operated by a motor (not shown). A damper 70 is also mounted on the frame 60 for clamping a CD on the turntable 40.
FIGS. 12 and 13 show the tray loading device 100. A drive gear 102 secured to a rotating shaft of a motor (not shown) is engaged with a gear portion 101a of a mode control ring 101 for rotating the ring about a center 0. The gear portion 101a is further engaged with a pinion 103 which is engaged with a gear 105 of a gear arm 104. The gear 105 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 105a to which a fixed gear 106 is secured. The gear 106 is engaged with an intermediate gear 107 rotatably mounted on a shaft 104a secured to the gear arm 104 at a central portion thereof. The gear 107 is engaged with a gear 108 rotatably mounted on a shaft 104b secured to an end portion of the arm 104.
On the shaft 104b, a tray loading arm 109 is pivotally mounted at a base thereof. The arm 109 is provided with a holding member 114 rotatably mounted on a pin 113 secured to an end portion thereof. The tray guide 111 is integrally formed on the holding member 114 to be engaged with a notch 91 of a tray 90. A pair of guide members 110 are formed on an underside of the guide 111 and slidably mounted on a guide shaft 112.
As shown in FIG. 13a, the length e between the shafts 105a and 104b is equal to the length e between the shaft 104b and the pin 113. Thus, the gear arm 104 and the tray loading arm 109 approximately have the same length. Furthermore, the shaft 112 is parallel to the line H connecting the shafts 105a, 104b and the pin 113 positioned on a straight line.
The operation of the tray loading device 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13a to 13d.
When the tray 90 is pushed into the magazine, a side 111a of the guide 111 is engaged with an inside wall 92 of the notch 91 as shown in FIG. 13a. Under such a condition where the side 111a is abuts on the wall 92, the loading device 100 can not be smoothly vertically moved. Therefore, as described later, at the selection of one of trays in the magazine, the loading device is positioned as shown in FIG. 13d. Namely, both sides 111a and 111b of the tray guide 111 are disengaged from inside walls 92 and 93 of the notch 91.
When one of the trays in the magazine 21 is selected, the tray loading device 100 is vertically moved in the player along the trays in the magazine to the selected tray. Since the guide 111 does not touch the walls 92 and 93 of the notch 91, the device 100 can be smoothly moved.
In order to draw the selected tray from the magazine, the motor is driven to rotate the gear 102 in the clockwise direction shown by an arrow of FIG. 12, so that the mode control ring 101 is rotated in the clockwise direction to rotate the pinion 103 in the clockwise direction. The gear 105 of the gear arm 104 engaged with the pinion 103 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction. Thus, the arm 104 is moved in the counterclockwise direction about the shaft 105a. When the arm 104 is moved, the gear 107 rotatably mounted on the arm 104 is revolved around the gear 106 to be rotated in the counterclockwise direction. The gear 108 engaged with the gear 107 is rotated in the clockwise direction to move the arm 109 in the clockwise direction. At the position of FIG. 13a, the axes of the arms 104 and 109 are brought into line so that the tray guide 111 is engaged with the wall 93 of the notch 91 of the tray 90.
As shown in FIG. 13b, when the ring 101 is further rotated, the arm 104 is moved in the counterclockwise direction through the pinion 103 and the gear 105. The arm 109 is moved in the clockwise direction through the gears 107 and 108. Thus, the tray guide 111 mounted on the pin 113 of the arm 109 is moved along the guide rail 112 so that the selected tray 90 is gradually drawn from the magazine.
In accordance with the gear ratio of the gear 106 to the gear 108, if the arm 104 is rotated at an angle .theta. with the line H, the arm 109 is rotated at an angle 2.theta. with the axis of the arm 104 in the opposite angular direction.
When the arm 104 is overlapped on a perpendicular axis S and the shaft 104b of the arm 104 coincides with the axis S, the arm 109 is overlapped on the arm 104 and the pin 113 of the arm 109 coincides with the shaft 105a of the gear 105 because the arms 104 and 109 are the same length. The gear 107 is further revolved around the gear 106 so that the arm 109 is crossed over the arm 104 and moved to the left as shown in FIG. 13c. When the arms 104 and 109 are brought into line, the tray 90 is completely fed to the reproducing section 30 and further loaded on the turntable 40.
In order to return the tray to the magazine when selecting the other tray, the ring 101 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction through the gear 102 and motor. The gear 105 is rotated in the clockwise direction to move the arm 104 in the clockwise direction. The gear 108 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction to move the arm 109 in the counterclockwise direction. The tray guide 111 engaged with the notch 91 of the tray is abutted on the wall 92 so as to push the tray to the magazine as the arms 104 and 109 are moved. The return operation is continued in a reverse order.
When the arms 104 and 109 are moved to the positions as shown in FIG. 13a, the tray 90 is returned in the magazine. However, the ring 101 is further rotated a predetermined small angle in the counterclockwise direction to move the arm 104 in the clockwise direction. Thus, the shaft 104b is positioned slightly lower than the line H to move the pin 113 as shown in FIG. 13d. The guide 111 is positioned in a center of the notch 91 such that a gap is provided between the guide 111 and walls 92 and 93. Consequently, the device 100 can be smoothly moved at the next selection of the tray.
However, as noted earlier, the notch 91 of the tray 90 has a width enough to position the tray guide 111 in the center thereof so as to provide gaps between the guide 111 and walls 92 and 93. Accordingly, when the tray 90 is drawn from the magazine 21 or returned in the magazine, the guide 111 is engaged with either of the walls 92 or 93, thereby making clattering noises.